Holder for test tubes



Dec. 15, 1959 immun fr j z M1 @D m m il /45/ ,m Q 0 w 1v 'a' ,z

INVENTOR. HR mw? 7.' 55E/ rE .4 fram/Er United States APatent O HOLDER FOR TEST TUBES Arthur T. Seelye, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application February 8, 1954, Serial No. 408,722

1 Claim. (Cl. 21174) This invention relates to a holding deviceA or rack for holding elongated articles. While the device could hold articles of different shape, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as constructed to hold substantially cylindrical articles, such as test tubes generally used in laboratories.

it is an object of this invention to provide an extremely simple and very efficient device forholding a rather large number of articles, such as test tubes, said device comprising spaced substantially horizontal plates having vertically alined holes therethrough in which an article, such as a test tube, may be disposed and held.

it is another object of the invention to provide a device comprising a top plate with rows of holes therethrough spacedA forwardly and rearwardly, a second plate spaced below said top plate having rows of holes therethrough spaced forwardly and rearwardly, the holes in said second plate being substantially vertically alined Iwith the holes in said top plate, together with means carried by said second plate for frictionally holding said articles in place when disposed in a pair of alined holes.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a holding device comprising a top plate having rows of holes therethrough spaced forwardly and rearwardly, a second plate spaced below said top plate and having rows of holes therethrough spaced forwardly and rearwardly, said latter holes being substantially vertically alined'with said holes in said top plate, one of said plates, preferably said second plate, having means for resiliently engaging an article disposed in a pair of said alined holes to support said article so that it need not be supported at its bottom.

lt is also another object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, said means comprising lugs struck from one of said plates and constituting the metal removed from said holes in said plate and extending downwardly from said plate.

IIt is more specilically an object of this invention to provide a holding device or rack for elongated articles, such as test tubes, comprising a substantially rectangular bottom plate, vertical end plates extending upwardly from said bottom plate and secured thereto, a top plate and a second plate spaced below said top plate, said top plate and second plate being secured to said end plates and each having rows of holes therein, the holes in said top plate being substantially in vertical alinement with the holes in said second plate.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view looking downwardly on one side of the device here disclosed as being placed on one side;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1;

CFig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3--3 of IFig. 2, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 5, as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one end portion of said device.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a bottom plate 10 of general rectangular form, said plate having flanges 10a extending upwardly from its longitudinal edges and anges ltlb extending upwardly from' its end edges. Said device comprises end plates 11 of general rectangular form, the same extending at right anglesV to bottom plate 10 and having inwardly extending anges 11a at right angles thereto. Said flanges 11a at their lower end portions are disposed within' the langes 10a and 10b. A top plate 12 is provided, the same being of general rectangulaiform and having downwardly extending flanges 12a atits longitudinal edges and also having downwardly extending flanges 12b at its end edges. The flanges 11a of the end plates 11 at their upper end portions are disposed within flanges 12a and 12b. Top plate 12 has rows of holes 12e therein, said rows being spaced forwardly and rearwardly. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated there are three of said rows. A second plate 14 is provided also of general rectangular form and having downwardly extending anges 14a at its longitudinal sides. Flanges 14a at their end portions are disposed within the flanges 11a. The flanges 11a at their points of engagement with anges 10a, 12a and 14a are secured together in any suitable manner, as by spot welding. Flanges 10b and 12b will be similarly secured together by said lianges 11a. Plate 114 has a plurality of rows of spaced holes 141: therethrough which are substantially vertically alined with the holes in top plate 12. As shown in Fig. 2, holes 14b have a straight rear side 14b1. The sides of holes 14h are parallel as far as a diameter of said hole taken longitudinally of the device. The front portions of holes 14b are semi-cylindrical. The material from holes 14h is struck downwardly to form lugs 16. Lugs 16 at their lower portions 16a are formed with concave surfaces which will tit partially about a cylindrical article, such as the test tube 18 shown. The lugs 16 are resilient and they press the articles 18 against the front sides of holes 14b. A plate 29 has a portion 20a disposed at the inner side of one ange 12a of top plate 12 and is then bent reversely upon itself to form a laterally projecting flange 20h. A similar plate 21 has a portion 21a disposed within one longitudinal llange 10a of plate 10 and is then bent reversely upon itself to extend at right angles to one end plate 11 to form a flange 2lb.

In the use of the device, the article, such as the test tube 18, will be placed through top plate 12 and then through the holes 14b. The article must be pushed against the lugs 16 and said lugs will frictionally engage the articles so that the side opposite the lug is forced against the front side of the hole 14h. This causes the opposite side of the article or tube 18 to be pressed against the rear side of the hole 12e in the top plate. The article or tube is thus frictionally held in position and ydoes not have to 'engage the bottom plate 10. It will be noted that there is a clear space front and rearwardly between the top plate 12 and the second plate 14, as well as between the second plate 14 and the bottom plate 10 below the lugs 16. The device is often placed on its side, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and the front edge of the hole 14b is slightly forward of the front edge of the alined hole 12C. When the device is laid on its side with the flanges 20h and 2lb extending vertically, the tube 18 will incline downwardly toward the bottom plate 10. It is often desirable to have the liquid 18a in the tube 18 disposed in a thin layer along the side of the tube. It is often desirable to stack the racks or devices and when this is done the longitudinal flanges of plates 10 and 12 will iit along Patented Dec. 715, 1959" the remote sides of anges 2Gb and 2lb and will thus be held from lateral movement.

From the above description it will be seen that l have provided a very simple and yet very efficient holder or rack for elongated articles, such as test tubes. The device can readily be made from simple plate material and the holes c and 14b can be quickly stamped from the plate material. The device has been amply tested in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient and the same is being commercially made.

It Will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and dened in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A test tube rack having in combination, a framework substantially parallelepiped in form comprising a top plate having spaced rows of holes therethrough and having a right-angled flange extending thereabout, a second plate spaced below said first plate and having spaced rows of holes therethrough and having right-angled anges along the sides thereof, said holes in said second plate being respectively partially forwardly out of alignment with said holes in said rst plate, said holes in said second plate having semi-cylindrical front portions and having straight rear sides, resilient lugs formed of material struck from said second plate in forming said holes therein, said lugs extending outwardly from said straight rear sides and having their lower portions concavely curved to tit par! tially about a test tube, said lugs being positioned to have their free end portions extend partially within the vertical projection of said first mentioned holes whereby a test tube extendedthrough said partially aligned holes will be frictionally engaged by the lower portion of one of said lugs and will be pressed against the semi-cylindrical side of the lower of said holes4 and will be pressed against the opposite side of the upper of said holes to be frictionally held in a somewhat inclined position in said rack and whereby said tube may -be held in certain diierent positions with respect to the depth of said rack beyond the pointof engagement with said lugs, and a bottom plate having a right-angled flange thereabout, said flanges about said top and bottom plates extending in directions toward one another, and a pair of end plates at either end of said rack having right-angled flanges along the sides thereof facing in directions towards one another and having their end portions respectively disposed within the flanges of said top and bottom plates and having disposed therein the end portions of said second plate and spaced rightaugled anges extending outwardly of said top and bottom plates along parallel sides thereof at one side of said rack, said last mentioned flanges being adapted to be disposed between the flanges of the top and bottom plates of the other side of an adjacent of said racks for a locking engagement for nesting said racks.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

